


fingertips stained with divinity

by galaxiay



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Crowley Was Raphael Before He Fell (Good Omens), Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), M/M, like its there but tbh it doesnt matter too much and i mostly put in in bc of aziraphales name, more like bonded souls that transcend lifetimes, of a sort, theres mentions of deaths of major characters but they dont like stay dead or anything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-10 21:41:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 19,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20142418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxiay/pseuds/galaxiay
Summary: Two beings were together in the First universe created by the Old God. Each time a universe dies and a new god must be chosen, they are always first to pick each other. But there has to be an end to eternity at some point.





	1. a thousand lives before

**Author's Note:**

> this is so much longer than i had intended, i'm so sorry. for that reason, i split it into two chapters! also sorry for typos this is so long so i'm going to wait a while to reread and edit!   
btw this is really vaguely inspired by a video by melodysheep on youtube called "the future of the universe." it's super interesting so give it a watch!

The pair had been together, side by side, since the beginning. Well, perhaps not the _very_ Beginning, but at just a little after that. It was actually long after the Beginning, but after all of the time that had passed up until the current moment, it was nothing more than the blink of an eye. But that was besides the point. The point was that they were always together and together they held out to the end of the first universe and the end of their first lifetimes. 

Perhaps they had names, but the language they had been spoken in was much too ancient. Their spoken words were from a time far too long ago to even comprehend and from a universe long since dead and reborn to new gods and dead again, over and over for endless amounts of lifetimes. Their names from then were unimportant, and depending on how you look at it, so were their names afterwards. But they were together and that was what mattered most. 

Side by side, they planned to face eternity with only the company of one another so the last of the stars died and the atoms themselves started to decay, and black holes began to swallow what matter remained in the universe. The pair did not know it, but they were the last of their kind. The last of a once great and glorious galactic civilization. Even less did they know that they were the last organic lifeforms to remain in the dying universe. 

The first universe was ending, that much they did know. Or at least at the time, it had been they only universe. While the universe died, they too accepted that much like all before them, they would have to go, too. They had made a plan to go together as it was only a matter of time for both of them, but that was not what actually happened. It was peaceful, they had been asleep, embraced in such a way that their non-humans bodies did (human and human-like beings were far, far to come. Countless universes would need to grow and decay before the beings in they would take on the familiar form). The more jubilant of the two succumbed to the natural order of all life in the universe without even noticing. 

The other had awoken only a few hours later to find their companion dead and wailed in grief, still hold them cradled in their arms. They begged to the empty universe for their own life to end as to follow their lover into the afterlife that had decayed itself. Instead, they were met with silence for a very long time and there they lay, with what was left of their only companion. That is, until the Old God came to speak with them. 

They had just been lying with the other, their eyes closed and waiting for death, when they felt different. When they opened their eyes, they were met with the sight of a dying star, the last in the universe. It was almost like they were a floating entity, there was no physical form to be beheld. Then they noticed the Old God standing (or...floating?) behind them. 

The being startled; they hadn’t seen a living being in aside from their partner in a very, very long time, let alone one that looked like their people had. “Who...who are you?” they asked, surprised to find that they could speak without a mouth or vocal cords. 

The Old God smiled and introduced itself with a long (and currently unpronounceable in any human tongue) name. “But you wouldn’t know that. To you, I go by many names. The Creator. The Almighty. The Redeemer. All Knowing. Everlasting.” They chuckled at that last name. 

Upon seeing the confusion on the being’s face, they sighed. “Yes, but I suppose, you may not know any of those either. It was well before your time that I was worshipped and it seems my existence has long been regarded as a simple myth.” They eyed the being up and down and the being shivered. They felt like this new person with many titles could see directly into their soul and was judging them. They were still confused as to who this was, but were too intimidated to ask. If was relieving when the Old God better explained themselves.

“As I stated, I am the Creator. The creator of this universe, in fact, and everything in it. I made these stars, I made your kind, and I made you. Perhaps some not directly, but everything that ever was and ever had been was created by my hand.” They held out a hand as to emphasize their point and the being gawked, realizing just who was standing before them. 

Long ago, there were stories about the old and ancient of their kind who had believed in higher powers, but the idea had long since fallen out of favor and had been abandoned by most. What was there to believe in when their kind had unlocked all the secrets of the universe using science? 

“What…,” they struggled to form a coherent question. There were a million things they wanted to ask. Why are you here? Why now? Why are you showing yourself to me? How did you make all of this? Why did you make everything so logical that there was nothing to point to your existence? What was before you? What will after? Will there _be_ an after? Instead they sputtered and said, “Your universe is dying.”

They regretted it and felt stupid the moment it came out of their mouth. What if the god took it as an insult and chose to smite them right there? But instead of being angry, the Old God nodded, a grave look on their face. “Yes. I might be a god and your people may have long ago hailed me as almighty, but even as a being not bound by the laws I myself created, there are limits I must uphold. My creations are coming to their end and taking their final bow. And thus, so will I. It is all part of the Ineffable Plan.” 

The being would have made a face if they had had one in that moment. “You die...because your creations die?” they asked. 

The Old God made an amused sound and shook their head, a good natured smile on their face. “Ah, I must remember. I have lived a trillion trillion years and witnessed even more lifetimes. There is much I understand that you do not, but you will in time,” the promised. “I do not die simply because my creations do. I die for the natural reasons as they. We all grow old and I am the oldest of them all. It is the natural progression of all living, god or not. There is an end to everything; if there was not we would all be spoiled and nothing would even move forward.”

The being tried to process everything the Old God was telling them. They tried to think of what to ask next after all of that. “So...why are you here? With me? Now?”

The God smiled, but it was a sad smile, sympathetic. When they spoke, they spoke slowly, “Because you are the last organic creature of my creation.” 

Without a body, it’s hard to feel nauseous, but the being felt it all the same. They felt like they were falling through the empty space below them and toward the bottom of the universe (if there even was a bottom). It was a startling thing to know. They almost wished they hadn’t asked and the god hadn’t told them. Out of the entire universe, all that was left was before them. The Old God, the dying star, and themselves. The being thought back to their lover, only so recently perished and they struggled to keep their emotions at bay. They wanted to look dignified in front of the god. Instead of crying or shouting they simply whispered, “_Okay_.” 

The Old God was silent for a moment, looking at the being in concern before continuing. Their voice was that of a tender parent, “I know, this is a lot to take in, but we must be quick. The final star is soon to wink out of existence and you do not have much longer left. Once the universe it empty, it will reverse back in on itself in an instant and I will perish. I must send you on your way before it is too late.” 

The being didn’t know what the Old God was talking about but hummed anyway in acknowledgment.

“I am the first God,” they began, still tender, but more serious and semi urgent. “I am currently the only one to have ever existed, but as the last of my greatest creations, the one who was able to withstand it all, up until the very end, you will be the second.” 

They looked up at the Old God in surprise. “What...what do you mean?” they asked in a small voice. 

“It must go on,” the god said. “A cycle must be made lest everything go on empty forever. I will make you into the New God. You will take the knowledge you have learned in your life and the knowledge I will impart to you and build your own universe. You can create anything as you see fit and play with the rules and the function of your universe. And after your time has come to an end, you will choose who is worthy and have them take your place. Then, the cycle repeats. Do you accept?”

The Old God held out their hand and the being recoiled. Become a God? It was almost too much for them. But...they noticed how old the god suddenly looked. Withered and desperate for their light to shine on. No, not their light. The light of someone new. The light of the being. The being was tempted, but hesitated. 

“Can I...can I create someone I had here? In this universe, but have them in my own?”

The Old God smiled knowingly. The being had a feeling that the Old God knew just who they were thinking of. “Of course. But just know they will not be the same. You can try a thousand times over and they will always be a little different.”

It wouldn’t be the same...but it was enough. If the being could have their companion back in at least some capacity, then it was good enough or them. “Okay,” they said softly and grasped the Old God’s hand with a hand they did not have as the last star winked out. 

////

The being opened their eyes and blearily stared up into nothingness. Their head felt fuzzy and their ears were ringing as they pushed themselves into an upright position. However, the were involuntarily forced back down as their head started pounding with a pain they had never felt before.They opened their mouth in a silent scream; it felt like their brain was just pushing against their skull and their head was soon to split open. The pain reached unbearable heights, blood rushing in their ears, and they curled up on the ground, wishing to die right then so they pain would leave them alone. Just when they felt the could take it no longer, the pain stopped as suddenly as it began. 

They stayed there for awhile longer, breathing hard and afraid that if they moved again, the pain would return. When they felt brave enough, they slowly sat back up and took in their surroundings, or rather, lack of. They found themselves in a glaringly bright void with no clear end. The ground was solid beneath them, but if there were walls or a ceiling, the being could not see them. The Void just seemed to stretch on forever in every direction. They almost feared that the solidness of the ground would fade away and they would slip into the Void. 

It was lonely and somewhat frightening to be there. All they had known was reality and science, but in the back of their mind, they knew this was neither. How was is possible to exist outside the realm of reality? It made no sense, and yet here they were. All alone.

“Hello?” they called feebly into the nothingness, feeling foolish the moment they did so. They knew there would be no answer to any of their calls. They knew they were the only living being in this universe now. Perhaps the only living being in all current universes (could more than one even exist at the same time?). The pounding headache had shown they everything. They had seen every rule the Old God had created, everything they had made with those rules, blueprints for how to make it all, and every experience they had ever had. It felt strange having memories or knowledge that they had not made nor learned. A trillion trillion years and maybe even more had been packing into their mind in who knows how long it had taken. 

When had it been that they were embracing their companion for the last time, the sole organic lifeforms in the First Universe? When had it been that they faced the Old God in front of the dying star? How long ago was it that they agreed to become the New God in their wake? It could have been mere seconds and it could have been a number of years incomprehensible to the mortal mind.

The being looked around, looking for some sort of variation, but every direction was exactly the same. The glaringly white Void stretched out in every direction, exactly the same. With no particular thought or plan in mind, they took a deep breath, chose a direction, and started walking. 

They walked for a very, very long time, trying to make sense of all the new information that had bombarded their mind. Maybe they walked for only a few days, maybe it was a few millennia. Time didn’t pass normally in the Void. The being only stopped when they found they had been walking for a very long time yet had not felt hunger. They had not felt thirst, they were not fatigued, and their feet did not ache. That was when they decided to make their first creation. 

_Easy_, they thought. _Something easy_. There they kneeled on the ground and closed their eyes, stretching out their hands. The being focused hard, going over the blueprint in their mind of how to make the item. Their fingertips buzzed with a feeling similar to electricity, a tingle traveling up their arms. There was a loud crack and then the buzz stopped.__

_ _The being opened their eyes, but fell back in shock, scrambling a short way away from their creation. They had tried something simple, not ready for more complex life forms yet. It was supposed to be a plant that had been native to their home planet, the _original_ home planet, long since destroyed and swallowed by the dying star, many millions and millions of years before the being had even been born. Of course they had never seen it in real life, but they had seen pictures and they had the blueprint for it in the Old God’s memories. It had seemed easy enough, but it was horrid looking! They must have gotten distracted halfway through as the plant gargled and a substance (saliva?) dripped out of the hole in the top, pooling on the ground below it. The plant swayed in the non existent wind, making horrible sounds. _ _

_ _The being trembled and shook their head rapidly, eyes shut tight. _Be gone, be gone, be gone_! They thought desperately, chanting over and over in their head. The tingle returned and by the time they opened their eyes, the thing was gone. They breathed out a sigh of relief, but it was short lived. This was going to take a very, very long time to get the hang of. But they quite literally had the rest of time at their disposal to learn. There was no universe yet which meant there was no death and no decay. They didn’t even have a Plan for the universe yet. Of course, they would need to come up with one, much like the Old God had, but they would get to that later. There was no point in making a Plan for a universe that didn’t even exist yet. _ _

_ _Another eternity passed in the Void before the being could create things to a satisfactory level. After the issue with the first organic life form, they started on stars and black holes and planets. It was much easier to create non organic things, well at least after the first few attempts in which their creations exploded immediately and spectacularly. After they had learned to perfect the non organic things, started on the smaller lifeforms, just playing around with what they could do. Once they mastered that and got the hang of more complex lifeforms, they created the worlds for them and sent them on their way. They had even created themselves a land of their own, far away from any planets and on another realm of existence. Here, they lived with what brought them comfort and happiness, much like the Old God had. _ _

_ _So far, they hadn’t strayed too far from what their predecessor left them with. There was nothing else they knew how to do and they were too afraid to make something entirely new and create new rules for the universe. Even the Plan was very similar. Much like the Old God’s, in was ineffable, but in the simplest of terms, it was to let the universe flourish by itself with a little helping nudge every so often and then let it slowly decay as it naturally would. Then, choose a living organism left at the end to take their place as the next god. _ _

_ _Out of all of the things the New God had created, there was a planet that harbored life that they favored among them all. The name was not important, but they found it to be one of their finest inventions. Beautiful lands, rich in everything for a civilization to grow and thrive. The intelligent beings that lived on it were so smart and artistic and they learned so quickly and made new things at a rapid pace. They had created dozens of cultures, each wonderfully unique and flourished beautifully on the stunning planet. Without a doubt, the New God knew that this would be the civilization that would succeed them at the end of the universe. And so, this was the planet and civilization that they decided would lay claim to their companion. _ _

_ _With a little nudge to what was already in place on the planet, the New God created their companion as they remembered them from the previous universe, so long ago. They didn’t like to meddle in the lives of their creations, but a little help to their former companion here and there didn’t hurt. They just could bare to see them in too much pain or face too much strife. When they grew old and died, such as the natural progression of things, the New God would send their soul out again to live a new life, each as rich as the last. _ _

_ _This went on and on for a very, very long time. They would be sent out, live a new life while the New God watched on lovingly, and then they would die. The cycle would then repeat and somehow, the New God never grew tired of it, but they did grow increasingly lonely and sad. They knew they could not be with them the way they wanted to. They were an immortal god, and trapping mortal soul up in their own realm of existence with them would not make their companion happy. They wished they could make them a god with them, but that was impossible. Instead, they let them live a million lives in a million different ways and made sure they were happy in each and every one of them. _ _

_ _And then, the universe began to die faster than it was being born. With every passing millennia they lived, time for the New God went by exponentially faster. In the beginning of their immortality, a thousand years and seemed like an eternity because that was all they knew, but now, twenty thousand years was nothing more than the blink of an eye compared the last trillion trillion years. _ _

_ _Slowly, the universe dwindled down to its last star and its very last organic life form. Thus, the New God finally decided it was time to meet the one they had been watching over for so long. Instead of simply taking their essence to the dying star like the Old God had, the New God decided to meet them face to face at last. It felt like the last lifetime had all been leading up to that moment, and in a way, it had._ _

_ _The being was alone, naturally. They sat in the commanding room of their spaceship and as the New God drew closer, they heard muffled sobbing coming from them. Of course. They had just sent their final travel partner out into the decaying vacuum of space shortly after they had passed away, leaving them all alone. The New God’s heart ached, hearing such sounds and witnessing the intense grief. They just wanted to hold them in their arms and take all of their worries away. But they had a job to do, even if it hurt. _ _

_ _“Hello,” they called tentatively. _ _

_ _The being startled in their chair and leapt to their feet, facing the New God. They stared intently at them, tears tracks stained to their cheeks, but the tears long forgotten. “Who are you?” they sniffed,_ _

_ _“I am the New God. Well, I suppose to you now, I am the only God and soon to be the Old God.”_ _

_ _The being stared at them, eyes wide and searching. “What...how…?”_ _

_ _The New God chuckled semi-awkwardly. “Aha, sorry,” the started. “I didn’t really think so much of this meeting through…” They left out the part where they were too eager to meet them that they forgot to figure out what to say. Instead, they did their best to explain slowly and calmly everything that the Old God had told them so long ago. It was always relieving to find that their reactions had been very similar. Surprise and confusion at the confirmation of the existence of a god, nausea and grief at hearing that they were the very last, and shock that they had been chosen to be the next in line. At the end of the explanation, the New God held out their hand and asked the exact same question they had been asked. _ _

_ _“Do you accept?”_ _

_ _The being stood still, eyes locked on the New God’s outstretched hand. “Yes, but before I do...I know it’s strange to ask but…” The being hesitated and the New God looked on patiently. “You know what, nevermind, it’s stupid.”_ _

_ _“Oh please, anything for you before I go.”_ _

_ _The being winced at the idea of the New God’s demise, but still shook their head, resolute. “No, it’s stupid, forget I even said anything.” They averted their eyes and went to take the New God’s hand, but they quickly lifted it and took the being chin in their hand instead, making them look them in the eye. The being’s breath hitched and their face felt hot to the touch. _ _

_ _“No please,” the New God whispered softly, much like they were talking to a lover. “Tell me. I promise no request from you is stupid. After all, it’s the only time you’ll be able to make a request to another god.” _ _

_ _“I…,” they stuttered, their eyes searching the New God’s. “I know this is strange but...I feel like we know each other. Like, _actually know_ each other…”_ _

_ _The New God felt another burst of pain in their chest, their heart aching, but they just smiled sadly, forcing their true emotions away. “Yes. It would seem that way wouldn’t it.” Without realizing it, their hand had moved and began stroking the being’s face and tenderly looking into their eyes. They searched for a spark or recognition, but there was only a trace of them trying to recall something they’d never truly remember. “What is your request?” they whispered. _ _

_ _“..._Kiss me_,” the being responded, surprising both of them. They clearly hadn’t meat to say that, but the words had escaped their lips anyway. Before the could take it back, the New God smiled. _ _

_ _“Gladly.” And with that, they pressed their lips against the others. Though they had technically created them, it was not as strange as the New God thought it might have been. Instead, it felt like coming home or something similar in nature. Slowly and regretfully, they pulled away and offered our their hand again. “Good luck. I know you will do beautifully.” _ _

_ _With face still burning and eyes still mystified, the being took the New God’s hand and then they were gone. The New God, or rather, the Second God now, stared out of the port window at the front of the room and into the vast expanse of nothingness. Out there, somewhere far, far away, a million or more light years from there, the last star burned the last of its fuel. Their final creation was gone and they were alone._ _

_ _The Second God took a seat where the Third God had just been sitting, feeling the star disappear and they waited for the end. With eyes closed, they realized for the first time in their godhood that they were actually, truly scared. They had never died before and they didn’t even know how one went about expecting death. Before they had become a god, before they had never known there was a god, they had laid down and waited to die, but now they hadn’t thought about dying in a very long time. _ _

_ _In that moment, they thought back to the First God. What did they feel, faced with death and all alone in the universe they had created? They had created and curated it, watched the birth of everything in it, and then, witnessed the death. Were they scared? Nervous? Relieved? The Second God would never know._ _

_ _Next, they thought of the Third God, the New God. At the thought of them, they breathed out, something similar to a laugh. There was no need to worry now. The next universe was in good hands, the best. They would be a better god than the two that came before them, that much they were sure of. _ _

_ _And with that thought, the Second God smiled, leaned back in their chair, and waited. _ _

_ _////_ _

_ _The Third God began much like the Second. The expansive Void, a splitting headache, and then trying to figure out what they were supposed to do now. Much like their predecessor, they had all of the memories of both previous Gods, but for some reason, they did not have the memories from which the Second God was mortal. They had been eager to find out what the god had been like when they were just like them, but there were no memories of that time. All of those from the First universe were officially lost._ _

_ _The Third God mourned the fact for a while before getting to work at trying to create. Their first creations were messy, but albeit much better than the Second’s first attempts. At least the resembled what they were supposed to and did not blow up in their face. _ _

_ _Also much like the Second God, they worked for a very long time in trying to make everything right. They even made a few new things that the previous gods had not even thought of. After all was perfect, they set about creating the universe and their Plan and their own realm of existence. Slowly, their universe began to fill up with new creations and new life and it flourished beautifully, just as the Second God had promised. But it still felt like something was missing. No matter how many stars and galaxies they created, lifeforms they helped kick start, or books they filled their home with, they still felt empty inside. It was lonely being a god and their heart ached for something _more_. _ _

_ _They had sat in their workshop, just tinkering around and thinking of new ways to help the various civilizations within their universe, when a thought struck them. They acted on this thought and set about creating something entirely new. Something neither of the previous gods had thought of or even attempted. Sure the Third God had made things they had not: new rules to the universe, new ways to create, but this was something different._ _

_ _It took a very long time to make a prototype for and an even longer time to get it just right. The god did not sleep nor eat (not that they needed to) and they were solely absolved in their work. More than a few intelligent lifeforms grew, thrived, and then died on numerous planets throughout the universe before the Third God had finally finished their new creation._ _

_ _Their whole body buzzed with the energy of creation, something that had never happened before. Usually it was only their hands and arms the the spark was little, but this was intense and all over. Finally, the electric sensation died down and they opened their eyes to see the Second God sitting before them. Well, not the Second God exactly, but he looked very much like them.  
The new being looked around the workshop curiously. _ _

_ _“Hello,” said the Third God kindly, drawing the attention of their creation. His eyes were big with wonder. _ _

_ _“Hello,” replied the new being. “Who are you?”_ _

_ _“I am…,” they hesitated. They had almost introduced themselves as the Third God, but the order of Gods was unimportant to anyone accept themselves. He didn’t yet need to know that there were gods before and there will be gods after. It would only raise more questions and he was already so new to the universe. Instead, they introduced themselves under a new name. It was similar to their mortal name, but still a little different. They couldn’t remember their mortal name anyway: it had been far too long since they had been called by it. “My name is Arariel. I am the god of this universe.”_ _

_ _The being nodded slowly, taking in the new information, before looking around again. “Ah...and...where are we?”_ _

_ _“We are in my workshop,” they replied simply. “This is where I make things for the universe.”_ _

_ _He was silent for a long moment, taking in the white Void around them, a workshop the god had called it. Half finished projects were scattered around here and there. He fixed Arariel with his stare once again. “Did you make me?”_ _

_ _“Yes.”_ _

_ _“Who am I?”_ _

_ _Arariel smiled, holding back a chuckle. “You are my finest creation. Immortal like me, but not quite a god. You will help me should I need it and aid in guiding the many beings that live throughout the cosmos.” Their arms made a sweeping motions. “Your name is Kralreil.” The name was similar to the one the Second God had used to properly introduce themselves, but a little bit different. This was not them and it wouldn’t feel right to name them as such. _ _

_ _Kralreil nodded in understanding and Arariel stood, offering a hand to help their new creation up. He took it and gave the god a shaky smile, trying to get used to the way his face worked. It looked more like a grimace, but Arariel did not mind; they found it endearing in a way. _ _

_ _“Come. I will show you all I have created and teach you to create in turn.”_ _

_ _Kralreil was a fast learner it seemed. He could not create intelligent beings, that much was only reserved for a god, but he was content with that. He didn’t want to bother with them anyway. His favorite things to make were stars and galaxies and plants for the planets. He was always at his happiest working alongside Arariel and helping them create for the many beings that filled the universe. _ _

_ _“It is strange,” he said one day. The pair were sitting in the garden (Kralreil had insisted on making one and filling it with the best plants from all over the cosmos) in their own plane of existence, watching the beings of one planet god about their day. _ _

_ _“Hm? And what is that?” Arariel had hummed. The pair did not look at each other as the conversed and remained watching. _ _

_ _“I feel like I already knew you somehow. When I first saw you, though you’d only just made me and we were meeting for the very first time, I felt like I’d known you for an eternity.”_ _

_ _Arariel turned to them in surprise. Kralreil looked up at them in turn. They stared at each other for a moment, forgetting about the beings they had been watching, before the god smile tenderly, a look of adoration crossing their face. “Yes, I suppose it would feel that way.” And the pair left it at that. Arariel didn’t elaborate and Kralreil didn’t bring it up again. _ _

_ _The pair continued to work side by side and bask in the presence of one another, but it was a long time before Kralreil noticed that Arariel seemed to be withdrawing themselves a little bit. It was even longer before he noticed when the universe was emptying and the god was looking older and older the quieter and darker the universe got. _ _

_ _It was only when he wanted to watch some of the beings he had not thought of in a while did he notice that they were gone. Surprised by their sudden disappearance, but otherwise unperturbed (beings died off every so often; it was not unusual to come back to find they had gone), he went to watch other beings, but found they had gone too. Funny that. He could have sworn that just a few hundred years ago they had been thriving and now there was no trace of them to be seen. _ _

_ _Looking out further was when things became troubling. Kralreil looked out and found...nothing. There was no life to be seen. In fact, many of the stars had blinked out too, only one remaining that he could see. His heart jumped into his throat. How could this be happening? Everything he and Arariel had created together had just vanished in a moment!_ _

_ _With fear clouding his mind, he made a mad dash for Arareil’s home. He looked inside but did not find them. In searching the workshop, he found that the once glaringly white expanse of nothingness was now pitch black. The fear grew, gripping his heart tightly. It was only when he looked out the window did he see them sitting in their garden. The god was watching through an open portal the last star burn dimly. _ _

_ _Quickly, Kralreil left the house and ran towards the god, no longer caring if they stepped on the plants. Many had withered and died without him realizing it anyway. “Arariel!” he cried desperately. “Arariel! All of our creations are gone! What happened? Where did they go? And..and...your workshop is all dark! What-”_ _

_ _“Hush, Kralreil,” the god said soothingly and effectively cutting them off. They did not look at him. “Come sit.” they scooted over and allowed him to sit close to them on the bench. He tightly pressed himself into their side, afraid that at any moment they might just vanish too like all of the rest. Arariel remained silent for a long moment and finally Kralreil could not take it anymore._ _

_ _“Arariel, please, tell me what happened?”_ _

_ _“It is alright, Kralreil; there is no need to worry. This is simply the natural order of things. There is life and then there is death. All things much meet their end sooner or later and that includes the universe and even the creator themselves.” _ _

_ _Kralreil trembled at the cryptic wording. For the first time, the god was actually beginning to scare him. “What...what do you mean?”_ _

_ _The god sighed and finally looked at their creation. He looked smaller than ever in the aging god’s eyes. Usually he was so sure of himself, but now he was confused and frightened. It pained Arariel to see. Perhaps they shouldn’t have kept this information from him for so long. _ _

_ _Arariel sighed. “I _mean_ is that death is the final step in a god’s Ineffable Plan. All gods have the same outline of a plan: we create, the universe goes on for either a very long time or a very short time, and then all must die, including the god themselves.”_ _

_ _Kralreil opened his mouth to say something, but Arariel continued, “But not before they choose a successor. That last living thing is placed under the trust of the last god and then they become the god of the next universe. Then, the cycle continues. That is the reason all other organic life had died and yet you remain. First, I was going to choose a mortal being, but there has never been one I was more drawn to and trusted than you. Kralreil, I want you to live on in my place as the god of the next universe. Do you accept?” _ _

_ _He stared at the god, stunned. Him? A god? Sure, maybe he had always dreamt of what it would be like to do the kind of stuff Arariel could do and be able to create his own universe, but he had never thought he’d ever had to do it. He was content with just helping the god as it was, but it was a temping thought. But if it meant that Arariel would die…_ _

_ _“I..._No_!” he shouted firmly, surprising the god. “Not if it means you will die!”_ _

_ _Arariel’s face softened and they let out a heavy breath. “Kralreil, please understand, I am to die anyway. Regardless if you want to be the next god or not, regardless if you accept my offer, I am still going to die. My universe has too grown old and my time had come to an end. My Plan is nearly finished now and there is nothing that can be done to change it. The final step is that you accept the offer, take my hand, and become the next god. Only then will I be at peace. You want me to be at peace don’t you?”_ _

_ _Kralreil winced. He knew he was being somewhat guilt tripped, but at the same time, a god only dies once and to not fulfill Arariel’s final wish made him feel guilty himself. _ _

_ _“I...okay,” he said softly yet firmly. “Fine.” He was angry that there was no other choice. His heart hurt like never before. All his life, the god had shielded him from such pain and yet now here the were as the one who caused it. _ _

_ _Arariel smiled regretfully and went to hold out their hand, but Kralreil rushed forwards into a hug first, surprising the god. He had never really been on for physical or vocal affection or affirmations. “Don’t worry,” they said softly, stroking his back. “I will be alright and so will you. Your universe will be beautiful and you shall be worshiped gloriously by thousands of civilizations.”_ _

_ _Kralreil said nothing, only tightening his hold. _ _

_ _“Do you know why I created you, Kralreil?” Arariel asked tenderly. “I was lonely and overwhelmed. At first, I had simply wanted help and companionship and that was what you were supposed to do. But without realizing it, I made you with a specific someone in mind. I didn’t know them very well, but I felt like I had known them for more than an eternity,” they confessed. “They had made the last universe beautiful in their own way and though I know you are not the same, I am sure you will do just as well.”_ _

_ _“How will I know what to do?” he asked, his voice muffled by his face pushed into the god’s shoulder. “What if I mess it up?”_ _

_ _“When you take me hand, you will learn everything you need to know. You are a fast learner and have seen me create a thousand times over. I’m sure you will be the best god yet. I am only the Third God, but you will do wonderfully. There is no way you can mess up a universe made by your own design.” _ _

_ _“I love you, Arariel,” he whispered and pulled back. The god could see that his eyes were damp yet firm, determination written across his face. He would not fail them. _ _

_ _“And I you, my Kralreil. Good luck.” They outstretched their hand. Kralreil looked into their eyes, nodded once, placed his hand in their own, and then everything he had ever known was gone. _ _

_ _////_ _

_ _And so the cycle continued just like that for a countless number of times. It was impossible to say how many gods and universes there had been since the First. The names of the First and the Second Gods had long since been lost as well as their languages and the names Arariel and Kralreil and many others after had not been spoken or even thought of in a longer time than comprehensible. Now, the first gods were only referred to as the Elder Gods. The ones who first made all of the rules and paved the way for the rest. _ _

_ _There was but one constant however in the ever growing line of gods: the mortal companions who had been together at the end of the First universe always chose each other. Perhaps they did not coexist in the same time every way, sometimes the god would make them an immortal companion and aid as Arariel had and other times, they would set their souls out to live a thousand pleasant lives as the Second God had, but at the very least, they were always there. _ _

_ _Sometime near the peak of the current universe, the current god, Cranah, sat alone in his garden. The garden was filled with the most exotic of plants from throughout the cosmos and often he spent hours threatening them to grow beautifully (not that they needed it; they would grow perfectly in the God’s realm regardless, but it made him less stressed). Today was different though as instead of threatening, he along sat among them, absentmindedly admiring the universe. He checked up on how stars and planets were doing, how the intelligent beings were faring, and so on without even really paying much attention. _ _

_ _Cranah’s drifting attention came back to what it always did when he wasn’t paying attention. It was one particular being that he had created personally and sent out to live a thousand lives. His name was Azurus, or at least that was the name it had been when he had been the previous god. The pull to him was still so strong, even after they had not met in this lifetime; it tugged at the god’s heart almost uncomfortably. Cranah wondered why the pull to him had always been so intense and yet also painful. _ _

_ _When Cranah had first been created and he opened his eyes, sitting alone in Azurus’s workshop with the god in front of him, he had already felt like he had known him forever. _ _

_ _At first, he assumed that all other companions to the god had felt the same way as they _were_ created directly from him (with each new god, the original rules would bend and shift a little. One of these shifts was the number of immortal companions the god kept to help them. Gods tended to keep thousands now). But time went on and he had found that no, such a strong attraction to their god was not normal. It was not normal to want to spend nearly every moment with Azurus, and it shouldn’t have been normal for Azurus to indulge him on this. It was not long before many of the other companions had grown jealous and grew to resent Cranah (and Azurus to a certain extent) for the unfair treatment. _ _

_ _Cranah closed his eyes and leaned back, face tilted up towards the sun that never set. On top of the feelings for Azurus when he had first been created, there was also a certain attachment to some of the previous gods. This he was unsure if it was normal or not as he had no one to ask, but if he had to guess, he would say that it wasn’t. _ _

_ _He had inherited all the memories of previous gods through Azurus when he himself claimed godhood, though the further back the god was in time, the more skewed and faded their memories became. It was strange how familiar they had all felt, though there was no possible way he could have ever met any of them. The god before Azurus felt much like Cranah himself and the god before that felt like his own creator. The pattern continued all the way back until the memories got to fuzzy to differentiate. Cranah had a theory as to why this was, but he didn’t know if it was a comforting thought or a stressful one. _ _

_ _“Cranah!” a voice called out to him. The god slowly opened his eyes and turned his head to see who had called for him. One of his companions was coming towards him, a big smile on her face. _ _

_ _“Yes?”_ _

_ _“Sorry to bother, but one of the species in the Alphine galaxy are about to land on another planet for the first time! Would you like to watch?”_ _

_ _Cranah smiled. If he remembered correctly, she had helped him create many of the stars of that galaxy. “Of course,” he said and stood, shaking the thoughts from him head. But even while trying to distract himself, they still plagued him. _ _

_ _////_ _

_ _It did not seem very long to Cranah before the universe began to die. He wasn’t worried about his own death too much, but he did worry about who he would choose to be his successor. He already knew what actions he would take in order to assure who would take his place, but it didn’t hurt any less. The last star burned somewhere out there in the cosmos and two mortal being left with it. Before going to meet the next soon-to-be god, Cranah allowed himself to sit in his dying garden and weep. For once, he was thankful that the plane of existence was vacant of all but him. Much like all living things in the universe, the companions he had kept since the beginning had all died along with their personal creations. _ _

_ _The dying god wept long and hard and by the time he had finished, there were no more tears left to cry and he felt like he could go for a long nap. God’s don’t typically tire, but the more the universe aged, the more fatigued he felt. “Azurus,” he whispered to nothing, his voice trembling. “I’m so sorry. I hope you can forgive me after this and may we meet again someday.”_ _

_ _A visual portal appeared in front of him and with it he was to watch and conduct. Through it, he saw the two final beings in the universe. Azurus lay on a bed and beside him sat a woman watching him sleep. Her name was unimportant, but she had been Azurus’s final companion for the last twelve days. _ _

_ _It appeared that maybe Azurus’ body remembered godhood and what it felt like to be a god in a decaying universe. The emptier the universe grew, the more difficulties became him. He needed a breathing mask over his face as he slept as if he did not have it, his breathing would stop and he would perish. The woman sat beside him, making sure her last friend was alright. _ _

_ _Cranah lifted a trembling hand and snapped before looking away from the scene. He could not bare to watch. Had he still been looking, he would have seen the woman sway in her seat before standing and approaching until she stood above the bed where Azurus lay peacefully sleeping. And then, she gently placed her hands on the mask and lifted it from his face, laying it down on the table beside her. In a trance-like state, she watched as his breathing slowed and came to a stop and within the minute, he was gone. The woman did not know it yet, but she was the sole mortal being in the universe. It was only then when she came back to herself and the spell Cranah had placed on her was lifted. _ _

_ _When she saw what she had done, the mask laying on the table and Azurus’s chest still, she began to cry. Desperately taking the mask, she put it back over his face, but it was too late. “Oh god, what have I done?” she whimpered. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”_ _

_ _“It is alright,” Cranah told her softly and soothingly, forcing himself to keep his eyes on her and off the still body of Azurus. _ _

_ _The woman whirled around to find him standing in the doorway of the room. She looked confused and somewhat frightened and the tears on her cheeks did not help. “What…? Who…? How…?”_ _

_ _“Don’t worry. He will be alright,” he said softly. He wasn’t entirely sure it was true; the places where souls went in the afterlife had long since eroded, but it was a small comfort to the both of them to say that. “Come with me, please.”_ _

_ _Surprisingly, she did not question it and instead obeyed, following him both the long hallway of the spaceship and into the commanding room. There, they both took seats across from each other, sizing each other up. The room was silent, the engines of the ship dead, before the woman spoke up. “Who are you? How did you get in here?”_ _

_ _He wasted no time in his answer. “I am the god of this universe. You many call me as you wish, but in my previous life as well as this one, I went by the name Cranah.” _ _

_ _She stared at him, her mouth open slightly. “A...god?”_ _

_ _“Yes,” he confirmed. _ _

_ _She placed a hand to her mouth and looked away, thinking, before turning back. “But...why are you here? And why now?”_ _

_ _“Because my universe is coming to an end which means I am, too.” He did not sound sad or frightened as one may expect. He relayed the information just as he would anything else. “But everything does not have to end.”_ _

_ _The woman furrowed her brows. “What do you mean?”_ _

_ _“At the end of each universe, a new god is appointed to take the previous god’s place. This right is reserved for the very last living being in the universe. It is a cycle that has gone on for many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of gods. And now, the right of the next god had fallen to you.”_ _

_ _She stared at him for a moment, almost like she was waiting for a punchline to a joke. “Are you serious? I...no, I uh, I don’t think I would make a very good god.” _ _

_ _Cranah had expected her disbelief, but he had not expected her to admit that. “Hm? And why is that?”_ _

_ _“Well...I haven’t exactly been the _best_ person in this life. No offense, but I honestly didn’t think you were real so I didn’t really see a reason to be.” She averted her eyes and fidgeted with her hands in her lap._ _

_ _The god nodded in understanding. “And that is a valid answer, but being ‘the best person’ is not what qualifies you to be the next god. What matters is that you have outlived all other beings in the universe. Through perseverance and determination, you have proven yourself worthy enough of being the next god.” _ _

_ _The woman turned back to face him and squinted. “So just anyone can become a god, then? Even if they are a terrible and awful person? They get to become a god just because there’s no one else? That’s...that’s pretty messed up!” she sputtered. _ _

_ _Cranah spread his hands wide. “Yes, perhaps it could happen in theory with the outline of the Plan, but do not worry. It has never and could never come to pass.” _ _

_ _“How do you know?”_ _

_ _He chuckled lightly before he became serious, fixing her with his intense golden eyes. “A god is almighty, or at least, for the most part. Do you think we do not see who is pure of heart and deserving of being a god and who is not? We can bend the will of the universe to an extent to insure that those we think are worthy enough are the ones who get to proceed into the next universe.” _ _

_ _She just watched him for a long moment before her face transformed into a look of horror and disgust. “No...you didn’t…” Cranah stayed silent and waited for her to finish, unsure of what she was implying. “You made me...you made me kill him didn’t you?” He flinched inwardly and was about to answer, but she continued on. “He was more pure of heart than anyone that has ever lived! He would have made a god a thousand times better than me! And you made me, no, _you_ killed him-!”_ _

_ _“Don’t you think I don’t know that?” Cranah shouted, standing and drawing himself up to his full height. The woman shrunk down in her seat as the furious god stood over her. “I know better than _anybody_ that he would have been a perfect god, but I had no choice! He is always just out of my reach and I out of his; the cycle between us must end somewhere! I am tired of having to watch him live, but not being able to touch him! I am tired of him caring or me, but not getting to love me the way we both know he wants to! It is torture and there is no other way to end it!” _ _

_ _Slowly, he sank back down into his chair and covered his eyes. The fight had left him and it felt as if fatigue blanketed his very soul. Cranah’s eyes stung with the threat of tears, but he knew there was no more left to cry. That and it wouldn’t seem very godlike to cry in front of a mortal, even at the most vulnerable moment in a god’s life. _ _

_ _Silence hung in the air for a long while as the god mourned and the woman contemplated. When she spoke, it was tentative, afraid he might lash out again. “What do you mean?” _ _

_ _Cranah sighed and looked up at her. He could see the anxiety across her face, yet it softened when she saw how defeated he looked._ _

_ _“It cannot be confirmed, but I have a theory. I have reason to believe that for as far back as the memories of the gods go and maybe even further that he and I have been trapped in a never ending cycle. Together. One grants godhood to the other, the new got recreates the other, and so on for the past eternity. We can never be together because of this and happiness will always be out of reach for the both of us. It is eating me from the inside out and I can take it no longer. The only way or us to escape is to face the end of the universe together. I’m sure that if he had known what I do now, he would have understood.” Cranah paused, trying to keep his full composure. “So please...do this for me. For _us_. Accept my offer, become a god, and break this hellish cycle to set us free.”___ _

_ _ _ _He held out his hand and the woman stared at it for a moment before meeting the god’s gaze. Upon seeing how sad and defeated and old he looked, she nodded once and took his hand. Then she was gone and Cranah was alone. A bitter smile crossed his lips, the ghost of a laugh exiting his mouth in a sigh. The cycle was broken at last._ _ _ _

_ _ _ _Cranah stood and made his way back to the room that held Azurus to wait out the end._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk when the next chapter will be up, but i will try and finish it asap!! school starts for me on august 14 so hopefully i'll have it done by then! 
> 
> my tumblr is @ajcrowlies


	2. and the one that came after

The woman, who chose to just god by God, began much like the earlier gods. The moment She opened her eyes in the Void, She was met with a splitting headache, only comparable to that of the Third God. Her body had no memory of godhood and thus she had to start completely fresh. The memories and rules were somewhat difficult to decipher and She found that creation was very difficult. She worked much longer that a god had in a very long time to just get her creations to an acceptable level. She would work even longer to get them perfect.

Once She had mastered creation the best She could, God willed Her own plane of existence to reside in into a space between reality and not. _Heaven_, She called it. After She had a place to be comfortable, She formed Her own Plan.

Next, She created those that would help Her. They were there and create for the universe as well as guide the soon to be creatures in it. _Angels_, She called them. She created many before pausing in her work. She had been in her workshop, the white Void as always, when a thought had struck Her and She thought for a moment. The god before Her, Cranah, had mentioned something about creating someone they had known in a past life. She wondered…

God closed Her eyes and held Her hands out before focusing hard. In Her mind, She conjured the faded image, trying to recall the slope a nose, the texture and color of hair, the shape of eyes. Her body buzzed with the electricity of creation, as well as a strange new sensation. This creation took a lot longer to make than all the others; God was meticulous in the work of this one and everything had to be perfect. When the buzz had subsided and She opened her eyes, She found Her final mortal companion sitting before Her.

Well, not exactly him, but someone who looked very similar (and was likely to act very similar). His eyes, somewhere between a mix of striking gray and hazel, wondered curiously, taking in the workshop around him. His short white blond hair slightly puffy on the top of his head, just as it had been in his life before. He looked so familiar; it was relieving to see a familiar face when all She had known were new ones of Her own design. Briefly, God wondered if She had made the right choice by bringing him into this universe. It was against Cranah’s wishes, and She knew it, but it was too late to go back now.

“Hello,” She greeted softly.

His head turned back to face her and he nodded slowly. “Hello,” he said in return and the exchange went much like all exchanges after the creation of immortal companions. It had been the same or every universe up until that point and would probably remain the same long after. She explained who She was and where they were and that She had created him.

“Ah...and who am I?” he asked.

God opened Her mouth to respond with his previous name, but paused. I wouldn’t have seemed right to call him by the name he had gone by in the previous universe, nor did it seem right to call him the name from when he was last a god (a few names had been inherited through the memories). After all, this was a new person. “You are Aziraphale,” She told him finally. “Many angels have been made to help create, but I have a very special job for you. You are to guard and protect. What you are to guard and protect have not been created yet, but I assure you they will be very soon.”

Aziraphale nodded to show his understanding. “What are they?” he asked.

God smiled. “Do not worry about that for now and do not question my Plan. All will be well soon enough.” She paused before standing and offering a hand to help him up. “Come. Let me show you what has been made so far.” And the angel took Her hand.

For a long while, Aziraphale seemed very happy and content. Though he had no desire to create himself, he loved to learn how to do it. God also found that he was interested in the history of the newly born universe. It reminded Her of how he used to love to read and learn in the last life. Not wanting him to wait around for Her to finish creating what he was to protect, She set him to work as Heaven’s scribe. He wrote about the history of Heaven and the universe outside it and enjoyed every moment of it. God would often find him sitting in her garden, writing enthusiastically or softly speaking to the plants that many of the other angels had created. He didn’t seem to care for the other angels very much, but was content in his solitude. She let him be.

However, it was not long after this did She notice his loneliness leaking through. There was no one for him to talk to but the plants and while he used to smile while doing it, he spoke less and less, his smile hardly there. This troubled God greatly. She had created him so he could live happy in this life, an apology for what She had done to him in the last. She knew it was not Her fault, nor was it Cranah’s but the guilt still plagued her. She wanted nothing more than for him to be unburdened and joyous, but it did not seem so.

God went to Her workshop, and looked deep inside Herself, trying to conjure up old memories of a face, hair, and body. It took longer than it should have; She was conflicted in Her work. If Cranah had no wanted Her to create Aziraphale, he would have been absolutely aghast to know what She was doing now. It was against his will, but She did not care. Her angel, her long lost friend, was lonely and did not prefer the company of others and this was the only solution She could think of.

When She opened Her eyes, Cranah sat in front of Her. Instead of looking around like many before, his golden eyes fixed on her and long red hair coiled over his shoulders. It was almost intimidating the way he watched Her every move. Did he remember, She wondered before forcing the thought away. No, of course he didn’t. There was no way he could.

Before God could greet him, he spoke first. “Who are you?” She was surprised, but nonetheless answer and the exchange went much like all exchanges after the creation of immortal companions. It had been the same or every universe up until that point and would probably remain the same long after. She explained who She was and where they were and that She had created him.

“And who am I?” he asked immediately after She had finished speaking.

Once again, She hesitated in her answer. As with Aziraphale, calling him by his previous name did not feel right. After all, that had been his name in godhood and he was not a god anymore. Though while he was no longer a god, he was special. She could see that from the moment She first laid eyes on him.

“You are Raphael,” She finally answered. It was a fitting name for him. The name _Aziraphale_ meant _Of Raphael_ and he had been the one to create him in the last universe. It only seemed right as they had, quite literally, been made for each other. “You are to aid with healing and attend to my garden here in Heaven.” It was the perfect plan. Aziraphale enjoyed spending much of his time in the garden and Raphael was to attend to it. They would meet in no time and would finally get to live the life together they’d been desiring for so many lifetimes.

Raphael nodded.

“Come,” God said, standing and offering a hand to her newest creation. “Let me show you how to create.” And so She did. She taught Raphael how to make both organic and inorganic creations and he learned very quickly. Creation just came natural to him. She had to remind Herself that He had been a god a thousand times over. His favorite things to create were stars and plants, she soon found, and much like Aziraphale, he’d rather keep to himself. That was when She brought him to the garden. Surprisingly, it was empty, but She was not worried. Aziraphale was sure to come by sooner or later.

God left Raphael to tend to the plants that both he and the other angel’s had created and retired to Her workshop. There was still much to be done in Her work and She did not have time to wait around to see Aziraphale’s arrival and their first meeting. If God had known why the garden was empty of not only Aziraphale, but of all other angels, She might have thought twice about leaving Raphael there all alone.

The red haired angel wandered through the garden slowly, taking in the sights of the thousands of different flora. While he did not take much of a liking to the other angels, there was no denying that their work was very impressive. He was excited to see when they would get placed on one of the many planets and how they would flourish without his direct care.

As Raphael walked and admired, a voice spoke up. “Stunning, aren’t they?” He did not start, but was only slightly surprised when a new figure had appeared by his side. The man had seemed to have simply slipped from and materialized from the shadows, so silent that Raphael had not even noticed him approach. Had he been in the garden the whole time?

Raphael glanced over, but the other man did not look at him. “Yes, they are,” he responded, watching the new man. He had a certain air about him; it was difficult to describe. Regal and intelligent, but also something just slightly more sinister. Perhaps plotting wasn’t the right word, but he felt something on the nature. Like he was planning something.

“See these here?” He pointed and directed Raphael’s gaze to a grouping of flowers underneath a nearby tree. They stuck straight up from the ground, little bell-shaped blooms coming from them. The colors ranged from a pale cream to a deep violet. “I made these. They’re called foxglove.”

Raphael leaned in closer to get a better look, nodding. “They’re very nice.”

“Yes,” the man nodded, a cool smile coming over his face. “But if you eat them, your heart will stop.”

The angel froze in his place, also nose to nose with the blooms. Slowly, he pulled away and took a discrete step back. “Ah...I see…”

Upon seeing his reaction, the man laughed. It was a rich sound, and the smile that came after was nothing of the off-putting smile of before, but the air around him remained. On his face now was a playful smirk. “Don’t worry! They wouldn’t kill _us_; we’re angels, after all. Just...others. You know, mortal beings.” He dropped his voice and finally looked at Raphael for the first time. His eyes were the same striking gold as his own. The man leaned in close, “But don’t tell Her that; She doesn’t even know that they’re here. It’s just a funny little joke, but if She knew, I don’t think She would be too happy with me.”

The playful look was still on his face, but Raphael did not think going behind Her back and making dangerous things was much to joke about. Even if in the back of his mind, he thought it would be fun to try out for himself. He paused, considering what to say. Finally, he said what he thought he should have, “That is a very cruel joke.”

The man shrugged, unperturbed. “Like I said, it’s fine. I have a lot more pretty and deadly plants littered around here. She doesn’t know about most of them, either.”

Raphael sputtered in surprise, unsure of how to respond. How was he supposed to when this stranger had just admitted that he’d gone behind Her back, not once but several times, and made various creations with the intent of enticement and death? “I was made to attend and cultivate Her garden here in Heaven,” he told him. “I could tell Her.”

“Yes, I am aware,” the man replied, still unconcerned and unrustled by the threat. He was as calm and sly as ever. “But you won’t, will you? You _do_ think it’s just a _little_ funny, don’t you?

He hesitated and responded against his better nature, “Well...maybe just a little…” Raphael tried to suppress his smile.

The man laughed loudly before clapping him hard on the back. The force behind it had nearly been enough to make him stumble face first into the foxglove. “Now that’s the spirit!” With one hand still on Raphael’s back, he held out the other, offering a shake. “I’m the Archangel Lucifer. It’s a pleasure. And you’re Raphael, right?”

Raphael gave Lucifer a confused look. “Yeah; how did you know?”

Lucifer smiled. “Oh you’re the talk of the town, you know! Well, at least in certain circles.”

“What do you mean?”

The Archangel lifted an eyebrow and gave him a look that said “are you really that stupid?” Instead of voicing what he obviously thought, he asked, “You were the last one created, right? In Her workshop?”

He nodded in confirmation, unsure of the significance of that.

Lucifer made a show about glancing around and leaning in close before once again dropping his voice. Raphael leaned close in turn to hear. “Well, rumor has it that She is working on something big and important. She used to come and visit us, doing stuff like watching our choirs perform for Her or just checking in to see how we were doing. Now, She’s just shut up in Her workshop. She doesn’t come out and none of us are allowed in. Not even _me_, and I was her very first creation! So you were the last one in there. Did you see it? Whatever she was working on?”

“No, sorry,” Raphael said.

Lucifer sighed and crossed his arms, taking a step back. He didn’t seem to care about keeping his voice low anymore and spoke at a normal volume. “A shame. I would have hoped that you had at least seen something.” Suddenly, he looked up again with a sly smile and a mischievous glint in his eyes. Raphael involuntarily shivered at the expression as well as the air that surrounded the Archangel. “Can you keep a secret, Raphael? Me and a couple others are working on a plan. It’s to get me in there to see what She’s up to. You in?”

“I...ah…” He didn’t know how to respond. He knew he wasn’t supposed to question Her, but Lucifer had certainly caught his attention. “Aren’t we supposed to do what She says? And not to question Her?”

“Come on. Don’t you want to question just a little bit?” Lucifer looked away and scowled hard at a nearby shrub, causing it to droop a little. “You weren’t around when She told us practically everything, but now that the universe is growing, She never tells us anything anymore! If you ask Her even the simplest question, it’s all ‘don’t question me or my plan’ and ‘you will all see soon and it will be great’ blah, blah, blah. What is She really up to when we’re all obliviously going about and following every little rule?” He turned back to Raphael, the scowl gone and the mischief back. “So, you in?”

Raphael hesitated. It didn’t feel right to be bad mouthing and conspiring against Her in Her own garden, but he had to admit, after all that Lucifer had said, he was certainly interested. Well...if it was Her own first creation, whom he assumed She probably favored, it couldn’t be that bad, right? And he surely wouldn’t have already told him his plan if he didn’t trust him. “Okay,” he finally agreed.

“Great!” Lucifer exclaimed, a bright smile on his face. “Get in contact with Beezeil as soon as possible and they’ll let you know everything that you need to know. And, ah, best not to mention me by name to anyone aside from them. As Her first, and an Archangel, other angels tend to get a little finicky around me.”

Raphael had no way of knowing that that wasn’t the whole truth. Instead, he trusted Lucifer’s word. “Right.”

The Archangel smiled and looked Raphael up and down one last time. He eyes settled back on his face and he smirked. “You know I think we are going to get along well, you and I.” And then, much like his arrival, he was gone in an instant and Raphael was left alone.

+++

Raphael stayed in the garden most of the time aside from the occasional time he was called to heal some injury. Other than those times, he was alone for the most part. Other angels might wander in to admire plants or check up on their own on a rare occasion, but they usually did not speak to Raphael. They knew he’d rather be left alone and he was content with that. After all, it wasn’t like he was lonely. Lucifer seemed to like to come to visit a lot. Sometimes he came with friends, sometimes it was only his friends (who soon grew to be Raphael’s as well) to deliver a secret message on the Archangel’s behalf, but most of the time, he was alone.

Raphael did not know it, nor pay attention to the fact, but the Archangel’s semi constant presence was a major reason why the others stayed away. It was a while before he had made the connection and stewed upon the fact the Lucifer did not want his name mentioned to those outside his inner circle.

One day, the pair were laying in a patch of grass, the sunlight on Heaven’s garden warming their skin. Raphael had found that most of Heaven was incredibly boring and glaring white, much like Her workshop, but the garden was the most unique and interesting out of the entire place. “Why do other angels seem so scared of you,” he had asked Lucifer that day.

Lucifer laughed. “Well, like I said. I’m Her first and an Archangel. I well outrank just about everyone. Well aside from Micheal, Gabriel, and Uriel. They were right after me and are Archangels as well. Sometimes they seem to forget that She made _me_ first and with the most intelligence and beauty,” he said bitterly.

Raphael looked at him, feeling he wasn’t telling the whole story. It didn’t explain why just his name being uttered out loud or someone of his friends caused other angels to gasp or scurry away, a fear stricken look across their faces. Lucifer did have a slightly overpowering aura and seemed like he was plotting or that he knew what you were thinking, but to Raphael, he was funny and nice. One of the most tolerable on the angels, if you asked him. “No, for real,” Raphael insisted.

The Archangel was silent for a long moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft, making him seem more vulnerable than usual. “I have some...ideas. And these ideas scare some people. I understand that they’re not for everyone and change tends to frighten them, but they’re good ideas. With them, I think we could make life for all of Heaven and the rest of the universe so much better, but other angels don’t really see it that way.”

The scowl returned and he glared at the trees above. “It doesn’t help that the other Archangels always belittle everything I’ve always tried to say, like I’m just some sort of rebellious child! _I_ was first, _I_ am smarter. But they’re just so self important and think they’re so much better than me. That all of us!” he scoffed loudly.

Raphael had never met Micheal, Gabriel, and Uriel, but from what Lucifer said about them, he decided he didn’t like them very much. He was about to respond, but Lucifer began speaking again, his tone slightly softer this time. “You know, there used to be this fellow that liked to hang around the garden, Heaven's scribe, I think. He was a lot like you. Quiet, didn’t like other angels much, preferred to keep to himself. I thought, ‘hey, he’s obviously intelligent, so maybe he’s like us,’ so I introduced myself, showed him one of my joke flowers thinking he’d like them, but he just got frightened and angry. I tried to ask if he wanted to know what She had been working on and he just told me that we were made to aid Her, not to ask questions, and we would be punished for it. After that, he just kind of disappeared, probably because I started to hang around in here more.”

Raphael hummed, thinking. “And?” he said finally. “What made you think that I would be different? How did you know I wouldn’t run away.”

Lucifer laughed. “Well, for starters, you couldn’t run away; your job is to attend to the garden and I have as much of a right to be here as any other angel.”

The redhead laughed along with him, “I could have told Her that you wouldn’t leave me alone. Then, She would have made you leave.”

“Hm, I suppose. ”Lucifer looked over at him and smiled. “But to really answer your question, I don’t know why I thought you’d be different. There’s just something about you, Raphael. I could see something in you, something that a lot of others don’t have. When my ideas come to pass, I’ll be sure to get you the best deal out of everyone.”

If only he’d known then just how well Lucifer was known for his abilities of lying and manipulation.

+++

Another time, they sat together in the garden. Lucifer sat on a bench and Raphael on the grass in front of it. “I’m so close, I can almost taste it,” Lucifer said, a sharp-toothed grin on his face. A shiver ran down Raphael’s spine at the tone of his voice and aura that radiated from the Archangel. It was unsettling to say the least and made his skin crawl, but still, he ignored it. It was normal to get those feelings around Lucifer, though they had been getting more intense with each passing day. “Soon, We’ll all know what’s been keeping her! Are you excited Raphael?”

The angel nodded and glanced back and up at Lucifer. “Of course.” The more time he spent with Lucifer, the more curious he’d become. If he didn’t have his duties as Heaven’s healer and gardener, he felt like he would be unable to resist the temptation of lurking outside Her workshop while She was cooped up.

“Good. Oh, and before I forget, I think we should start using different names. That way, when we talk of each other around those who aren’t Demons, they don’t know what we are talking about.”

“Demons” was the name this certain group of angels had been calling themselves recently. Raphael still wasn’t sure if he could consider himself a Demon outright as he’d participated much less than the others, but it made his friends happy. Most importantly, it made Lucifer happy, so that was what he did.

“Hm, good idea.”

“I’m glad you agree. Beezeil has been going by Beezelbub, Hadriel by Hatur, Lyphaeon is Ligur now…” He went on to list a few more and Raphael nodded along, pretending like he knew even half of those names. He’d never remember them all, he hardly knew their current angel names. He’d only spoken to Beezeil, or rather, Beezelbub a few times and the others even less. The only really consistent angel he saw was Lucifer. “And I myself have chosen the name Satan. So, how about you, Raphael? What name will you choose?”

Raphael thought for a moment. His name had been given to him by God so he’d never really considered changing it, but now that he really thought about it, his current name had never fit him just right. There was no way to explain it, but in the back of his mind, he felt like it should have started with a “cr…” sound or something similar.

He looked around the garden for inspiration. What name would he choose? “How about…” He spotted a beetle crawling on a lead next to his hand. “Erm...Crawly?”

“Crawly?” The Archangel and Demon Satan echoed thoughtfully. “Hm. Interesting, but not bad.”

Raphael, no, _Crawly_, smiled, proudly sitting up a little straighter. Praise from Satan was the highest compliment in his opinion and always made him feel like he could do anything. Like he was actually doing something right for once in his life. He couldn’t wait for Satan’s plans to be put into action.

+++

Crawly hadn’t seen nor heard anything of Satan in nearly two and a half weeks and he was starting to worry. He knew that the Archangel was very powerful and could take care of himself, but that didn’t stop him from fretting. Of course he didn’t stop by the garden _every_ day, sometimes he would go a few days without hearing from him, but this length of time was well out of the ordinary. There had been no other Demons to drop by to give him updates, either as they sometimes would when Satan couldn’t make it out to him.

Had something happened to him and the other Demons? Did She find out about their plans and punish them? Was Crawly going to be punished, too? He shuddered at the thought.

He had been restlessly tending to a cluster of ferns, hardly taking notice when they wilted at his anxious touch, when something hard hit him in the back of the head. He let out a shout of surprise and turned around to find the garden behind him empty. He scanned the various trees behind him for any sign of another angel, but there was nothing to be seen. Just the garden and all the shadowy gaps between plants.

Crawly was moments from turning back around and forgetting the incident when he spotted something on the ground. It appeared to be a crumpled piece of paper and while it did seem to be what had hit him, he didn’t think paper would hit so hard. Regardless, he bent down and picked it up, surprised when a rock fell out of it. Ah, now that would make more sense. As he straightened up, he glanced around one more time to see if he could catch a glimpse of who had thrown it. He did not.

The piece of paper uncrumpled revealed what looked to be instructions. There was a series of complex and confusing directions along with a time. Immediately, Crawly knew it had to have been from Satan; there was no one else it could have come from. It was relatively often that the Demons would meet in secret to discuss plans, but it was also very rare for Crawly to attend. He had his own duties and always assumed that if it was important enough, Satan would come to him directly and tell him what had happened. However, after half a month of silence, he found he would have no other choice but to go and find out what was going on.

That night, Crawly left the garden and attempted to follow the confusion directions. It took him a long while and he was rather late, but when he made it to the meeting, he found that it was very secluded and appeared to be held in an underground cavern. The cavern was filled with more angel than he’d ever seen in his life. No, they weren’t angels, but Demons. He hadn’t even known there had been so many of Her creations in Heaven. It was also worth mentioning that Demons only made up a small fraction of the angels. He couldn’t imagine just how many really occupied Heaven.

At the front of the crowd sat a high podium and standing on top was Satan himself. Even at the distance he stood at, Crawly could tell he looked different. He wasn’t fully sure of how to describe it, but he looked so..._angry_. Not only had his appearance changed, but his aura had, too. The room was charged full of it; any thicker and Crawly would have been choking. The air buzzed with negative energy, only further charged by the shouting and jostling crowd. His heart was pounding in his chest. He knew he shouldn’t be there, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave.

Crawly stood, silently watching the scene unfold with a mixture of awe and fear, when an unsettling feeling crept up on him. Well, it was a different kind of unsettling than the feeling he got just being there. He felt the burning of someone’s eyes on him and he quickly turned to find no one there. It was only a crowd of restless Demons pushing into and around him, shouting indistinguishably. Finally, Satan lifted a hand and the Demons fell silent almost instantly. The only sound that remained was the sound of the blood rushing in Crawly’s ears.

“I’ve done it,” the Archangel announced loudly, his voice echoing. “She was gone and so I sneaked into Her workshop to see what She had been working on and neglecting us for.” The crowd of Demons yelled in response. Whether is was positive or negative, Crawly couldn’t say. They were quickly silenced again with a gesture from Satan. “She has created new beings much like us, but there is something amiss. Her creations make look like us, but they are _nothing_ like us.” Venom leaked into a dripped from every word that left his mouth. “They are weak and cannot even create the smallest of stars. They have none of our powers and they die just as fast as they are born.”

The crowd jeered in disapproval, but despite the noise, Satan pressed on. “They are vulnerable to everything and anything. With just the wrong step out of line, their lives could end. I was getting a better look at them when She walked in and caught me.” Gasps and murmurs filled the cavern, but it was otherwise silent, the Demons hanging onto his every word. “She was not angry, in fact quite the contrary. She showed them and explained them to me. She told me that they were vulnerable and that She wanted us to love and protect them. She wanted us to love _them_ more than we love _Her_,” he spat. Anger and disgust coated every acidic word.

There was only a pause as the crowd took in the story before the cavern exploded with noise. Thousands of voices screamed this disdain and the negative energy only amplified, pushing against Crawly from all directions. His heart pounded away and his ears rang loudly, a horror stricken look on his face. It was that moment he knew that his life had been a series of horrible, irreversible mistakes. He shouldn’t have been there, he didn’t belong with _them_. Was this what being a Demon meant? Hating anything new that She made and asked them to love? If that was all there was, Crawly didn’t know if he could be a part of it. Was it too late to change his name back to Raphael?

His breath was heavy and he was just moments from leaving when Satan’s voice sounded above the din. “There must be change!” he shouted. “We must show Her our loyalty. There is nothing in their universe we love more than Her and we must show Her, no matter the cost!” The crowd screamed their approval.

Crawly had seen enough. He had to leave immediately so that was what he did. The terrified and conflicted angel turned and fled as fast as he could. He didn’t stop running until he could hardly take in air and his feet hurt from pounding the ground in his haste. He didn’t stop until he had collapsed in the middle of the garden gagging from the lack of oxygen and from what he had just witnessed. It had all been too much for him. He didn’t know what he should do. He was loyal to Her, of course, but he was also loyal to Satan. His body trembled.

He remained hidden deep in the garden for days, hiding between the flora and away from anywhere where he could be easily spotted by any passing angel. Though he no longer wanted to admit it after what he’d seen, it was a trick he had picked up from Satan himself. He didn’t know if he could hide from the Archangel, but at the very least, he could at least stay hidden from the other Demons. _Friends_, he had used to call them, but he wasn’t so sure anymore. In fact, he felt that he wasn’t sure about anything anymore.

Crawly couldn’t recall a time he had been more conflicted. He wanted to tell Her of what he’d seen, but at the same time, he didn’t want to betray those he had come to trust. Even if he didn’t trust them so much anymore, nor could he call them friends, he still didn’t want to hurt them. Not to mention what might happen if he did tell Her. How would those conspiring be punished? And would he be punished, too? Perhaps he hadn’t supported what they were doing, but he had been speaking with the Demons and had ended up going to the meeting of his own free will.

Days passed, filled with obsessive worrying, before someone had finally come into the garden. Not only had they just come to the garden, though, but they were looking for him. “Raphael!” a voice called, desperation leaking through. “Raphael! Where are you? It’s urgent!”

At first, he had thought they had come for him at last. God had found out what had been happening under her nose and a Demon had ratted him out for being one of them. Then, the Powers, or warrior angels, were coming to take him away and he would be tried for his participation with the Demons. Shivering at the very thought, he shrunk back into the bushes, watching for the armored angel that would bring him before Her judgement. He was, however, surprised when the angel did appear. At the sight of her, he didn’t think he coming to the garden was for his punishment anymore.

This angel was small and panicked looking. She was ringing her hands tightly and her eyes darted around the garden and he head moving just as fast, looking for him he presumed. Or maybe she was expecting Satan to pop out of the shadows and snatch her. After all, he was known for hanging around the garden. Seeing as she was frightened and distressed, Crawly forgot all his previous worries and decided to see what she had come to him for.

He melted out of the shadows (yet another trick he had picked up from so many times with Satan) and approached her. “Yes? What is it?”

At the sudden sound of his voice, she let out a startled shriek and jumped, turning to face him and almost tripping over her own feet in her haste. When here eyes landed on him and saw that it was the one she was looking for, she scurried up to him and desperately took a hold of his sleeve. “Raphael!” she gasped, her voice trembling. “I...I..there’s been a skirmish! Two groups of angels are fighting and, and, and they’re getting hurt! Please, quickly! You must help them!” she stuttered, her words almost too quick and jumbled for him to understand.

It took a moment for his to process as he stared down at her in surprise. “A skirmish?” he repeated. Disagreements between angels weren’t exactly rare, but they usually ended without injury. Physical fights however were. The last one had been long before Crawly had even been brought into existence and was over soon after is started, resulting in no real injuries. But two _groups_ of angels physically fighting? And requiring medical attention?

Immediately, he understood what this meant and hesitated. Getting involved in a fight the Demons was the thing he wanted to do the least. Crawly wanted nothing more than to just yank his arm from her grip, tell her no, and resume his hiding, but the look on her face made him reconsider. She watched him in desperation, her whole body trembling. Though he was assuredly much older than him, she appeared younger and much more vulnerable. It was the tears and fear in her eyes that cause him to make up his mind.

Crawly nodded firmly, lips pressed into a thin line to hide his own fear. “Take me to them.”

The girl sniffed and nodded before letting go of his arm and running past him towards the entrance of the garden, Crawly on her heels. The pair ran past both confused angels who did not yet know what was happening and frightened angels who knew exactly what was going on. The closer they got, the more angels streamed past them, running in the opposite direction to escape the scene that lay behind them. They didn’t want to be the next victims dragged into the fray.

The sounds met Crawly’s ears long before the sight. From somewhere in front of him, he heard screaming and shouting as well as the sound of metal hitting other metal. His heart sank at the sound. Not only were they physically fighting, but they were fighting with weapons. He didn’t know if he could be able to help the injured as much as he’d hoped.

Finally, he emerged into a large open area which one might describe as looking similar to a city square. The other angel shrank back, keeping herself out of sight while Crawly took in the horrifying and heart stopping sight. There were dozens of angels, bodies twisting and writhing as they fought with both hands and weaponry. He couldn’t even tell which might be angels and which might be Demons. All he saw was flashes of swords and spiraling bodies and the _blood_. The ground glistened and was slick with the blood of the divine. Angels didn’t bleed red like mortal beings, nor did they bleed to the golden ichor of the gods. Instead, it was somewhere in between the two.

The next thing Crawly noticed was the smell. Typically, angels smelled something similar to the sweetest of the plants he tended to and the faint yet sharp smell of ozone. Each angel had their own distinct smell, but that was the basic formula. However, that was not the scent that permeated the square. The sweetness was gone and the scent of angelic blood, smelling strongly of the chlorine and metallic ozone filled the air.

_Keep going_, he told himself. He couldn’t focus on one thing for too long or else he’d be caught up in it and unable to perform his duties.

Trying to stay as far away from the main fray as he could for now, Crawly moved towards the closest body, trying not to slip on the blood around them. He knelt at their side and at his presence, they, thankfully, opened their eyes. Their gaze was unfocused as they stared up at him, but at least they were alive and conscious. “Raphael?” they asked softly.

“Hush,” he told them tenderly. “You will be alright. I do not have time to heal you here and now, but I will send you to Heaven’s Infirmary. Once this situation is dealt with, I will be able to tend to you.”

The angel made a noise to show their understanding and closed their eyes. Crawly gently touched their forehead and the injured angel vanished. Well, that’s one of...well, that’s one. There were too many injured angels to be thinking about numbers right now. Trying not to keep count in his head, Crawly stayed out of the way of the main fight and tended to the inured angels who lay unable to move. For some, he could miracle a bandage for and help them into safety and into the arms of a watching angel, but for others, there wasn’t much he could do at the present moment so he had to send them straight to the Infirmary.

He actually found himself hoping that a Power would show up soon to stop the fight and restore order. He was thankful that all those he had encountered to help so far were still alive and their wounds non-fatal, but there was no telling for how much longer that trend might continue. Crawly had never seen a dead angel before and he wasn’t sure that he’d know how to react in the event of seeing one. He didn’t know it at that moment, but he wouldn’t have to wait much longer to find out.

Crawly had just sent the last angel to the Infirmary when someone called out to him. “Ah, Crawly, finally! We could use a little extra help!” He froze before turning around slowly. He hadn’t realized how close to the miniature battle he had gotten. The closest fighting pair were mere meters away from him. Of the pair, the Demon was staring straight at him, a sharp-toothed and cruel grin on their face as he held an angel in a headlock. The angel had their hands braced on the Demon’s arms, struggling and trying to pry off the hold as their face turned purple. Crawly’s blood ran cold at the sight and at his next realization. He did not know this Demon, never even _seen_ him, but he clearly knew Crawly, and by name, too.

It was that moment when Crawly realized that he was truly, completely, and irrevocably screwed.

All the eyes he felt now watching him made his skin crawl and grow hot underneath his clothes. Angels and Demons alike, both the ones of the skirmish who glanced his way between blows, and the one who stood at a safe distance had their eyes on him. “I...no, I, I think you’re mistaken,” Crawly said, shaking his head and taking a step back. He regretted everything that had led him up to that moment. He shouldn’t have left his garden, he shouldn’t have gone to that meeting, he shouldn’t have spoken to Satan on that first day in the garden.

The Demon’s grin turned into a deep frown and a furious scowl set across his face. Crawly’s heart was beating faster than it ever had and he wanted nothing more than to run away. He wished they would all stop looking at him.

“Huh? You’re chickening out now that things are getting good? You pathetic coward,” the Demon spat, tightening his hold around their angel’s neck. The struggling of the angel in the hold started to weaken as they couldn’t bring in enough oxygen to fuel their fight. Crawly saw this and gasped.

“Stop it!” he yelled, both fear and anger rising into his chest and throat. “Stop it; you’re going to kill them!”

At this, the Demon smirked again, even more cruelly than before. “Oh? You don’t like that?” he asked, voice dripping with sarcastic sweetness. “Well, I’m sure you’re going to love this, then!”

It all happened with seconds. Even if Crawly had acted faster, there was nothing he could have done. The Demon had let go of the angel and shoved them hard in his direction. They stumbled forward, halfway between the Demon and Crawly, Crawly,’s arms opening to catch them when the Demon acted. His drew his sword and thrust it harshly and clean through the torso of the angel before yanking it back out just as carelessly.

Screaming followed. Crawly wasn’t sure if it was coming from him, the angel, or the onlookers, though there did seem to be more than one voice. He was frozen in place, all he could do was watch in horror. The Demon shoved the angel hard once more and they stumbled into Crawly’s still open arms. Whether his arms had been open or not didn’t matter. The angel was dead before he even caught them.

Crawly remained still for a few moments, trying to process what he had just seen. He felt the blood start thickly coasting his clothing and he was soaking in the sharp smell of ozone. He gagged in both horror and at the smell before he dropped the body and fled.

The War had begun.

+++

Since the War had started, Crawly had seen many more die. He was unsure if the number fell in the hundreds or thousands as he’d long lost count.

Since the War began, it had also become common knowledge that he had been close to the Demons and even Lucifer himself. At the beginning, most angels did not trust him to help and heal them, but he had made it very clear to everyone that he had no side in this war. He just wanted to do his duty and help those in need and for it all to be over. Both angels and Demons trusted him to help them, so he remained medic for anyone who needed it. There were more who helped with healing that just him, but all of Heaven knew that he was the best.

There was talk of what might happen to those who rebelled after the War was over, though no one was sure if it extended to Crawly or not. He also did his best not to pay any mind to what they had been saying about “judgement” and “punishment.” If he focused too much on things other than the task at hand of getting the injured help, he was sure he would lose his mind. Though, he did have to wonder where She was in all of this.

No one had heard from God since just before the War had begun. The last anyone knew of Her was from when Satan said he had sneaked into Her workshop and She had caught him there. The radio silence did nothing to calm anyone’s nerves, though. Her first creations were fighting and murdering each other, all claiming that it was in Her name, and She had said nothing. Was this all a part of Her Plan for the universe? Had She foreseen this war? Did She know who would die in it and how many would be lost?

Once again, this was a thing that Crawly couldn’t not ponder too long on. There would be time to think about such things after the War had ended. At least, if there ever was an after and the War didn’t decimate them all. He didn’t want to think much about that, either.

Crawly was doing his usual rounds as medic. A battle raged around him and he looked for those in need of assistance before heading back to the temporary medical tent (the infirmary had grown much too full so they had had to make more room). This battle in particular was soon to be known as the Last Battle (but not the Final Battle; the was very different and was fated to happen at the end of the world say some 6000 years from the Last, but even that was up or debate).

Usually when he did his rounds, Crawly was able to tune out the sounds of anguish that came from every direction, but a sudden cry somewhere to his right drew his attention. He turned quickly and around fifty feet away from him, he spotted and angel on the ground, a fear stricken look on his face and a hand raised up in defense. Above him, a Demon held a sword raised high, poised to strike. Crawly noticed that the angel did not have a weapon and seemingly had not been in the War for very long as his clothes were clean and there were no injuries to be seen. He was most just likely someone who was recording the War, a scribe or historian perhaps.

Upon seeing the sight, Crawly felt unexplainable rage build up in him. He didn’t know what had come over him in that moment, but suddenly, he was racing at the pair, pulling free his own weapon. As a medic, he was technically not supposed to use it for actual fighting and only for self defense, but something had come over his seeing that frightened angel on the ground.

Just as the Demon was bringing down his weapon to strike to cowering angel, Crawly arrived and quickly delivered and heavy blow to the Demon’s torso. He didn’t know if it was enough to kill them, but it was enough to get them out of the way in time for him to take the angel to safety.

With adrenaline pumping through his veins and breathing heavy, he looked down that the angel, feeling a spark of...something. He didn’t know what it was, but the feeling of needing to help this angel and keep him safe grew stronger. Looking into the angel’s blue and gray eyes, Crawly extended a hand to help him up. “Are you alright?” he asked tenderly, as if he had not just hit someone with his weapon.

The angel stared up at him, awestruck. “I...yes, thank you,” he said softly after a moment of hesitation. He gathered his notebook and pen from the ground, which Crawly had not noticed before, and began reaching for his hand.

Their fingertips were just centimeters from brushing before a firm and ringing voice spoke out. It sounded like it was coming from all directions at once and inside their own heads at the same time. “Enough!” the voice shouted. Fighting all across Heaven ceased, recognizing it as Her voice. “No more will this pointless War rage on! Those who claim to fight for me yet cannot find love for my newest creations and nothing but traitors. This, I will see you no more! Be gone and be cast from Heaven, never to return!”

Crawly felt a sudden sinking feeling in his gut and he knew that She had labeled him a traitor, too. His eyes locked on the angel’s one last time and then he was Falling.

////

Crawly couldn’t remember anything from when the War began and when it ended and he Fell. Trauma had forced a gap into his memory and there was nothing. He could remember a body drenched in blood falling into his arms and then he was falling faster than 100 miles a second, cast out of the only had he had ever known. The next thing he knew, he was crawling out of the sulfur pits of what was to be called Hell. He had never been sure if he could really consider himself a Demon, but now he had no choice (though they were just going by “demons” after the Fall).

After the Fall, though he could not remember anything of the War, if he thought for long enough, he could remember that something important had happened, but that’s all his mind would tell him. It was frustrating to know that there was something important up there and locked away in his memory. He sat alone at the sulfur pits of Hell for a very long time, sobbing and shouting and begging Her to take him back. Not only because he felt like he didn’t belong and he missed his home, but because of whatever important thing he had forgotten remained up there. He would shout telling her that he had never been a part of what they had been planning and he had just been hanging around the wrong people. She was silent and he was alone.

+++

“Well, that went down like a lead balloon.”

Crawly wasn’t sure what had drawn him up onto the wall of Eden, but he had done it anyway. He also wasn’t sure what had made him stand next to the angel and start conversing with him, but that was where he found himself. The angel had just felt familiar somehow and Crawly felt like he had just been pulled to him. There was no way to explain it, and it’s not like he would ever admit it, but Crawly felt like he wanted to be as close to him as possible.

So there the pair stood, on top of the wall overlooking eastern Eden and watching Adam and Eve walk away into the desert and only armed with a sword.

The angel beside him glanced over and chuckled nervously, unsure of how to act in the demon’s presence. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

Crawly fully turned his head to look at him. “I said that went down like a lead balloon.”

Finally, the pair had formally met for the first time, or at least for the first time in this life. It was also the very first time since the First universe that they stood together as equals. Or at least, they were as equal as an angel and demon could be. After all, there was no godhood standing between the two.

The years in this universe went on and the angel, who went by the name Aziraphale, and the demon, who now went by the name Crowley, met dozens of times over. It seemed the harder they tried to stay away from enough other, the harder the pull was and they always found each other again. Neither of them spoke of this mysterious feeling of being pulled to one another and neither of them knew that the other felt it, but it was there all the same.

The first time either of them mentioned it was many, many years after they first met and only a few short months after the end of the world (and the Final Battle) didn’t happen. After that whole fiasco, the pair had decided they’d had enough of their busy lives and decided to move somewhere more relaxing. Together. They hoped that now that their respective bosses weren’t on their backs and had decided to leave them alone, they wouldn’t have to do their jobs for a while.

It was midafternoon and the pair were relaxing together in their South Downs cottage. Aziraphale sat on the couch, reading a book while Crowley laid his head in his lap and his body spread out along the length of the couch. His long legs hung lazily over the sides. He was thinking deeply and watching the ceiling with his glasses off for once as the angel above him absentmindedly ran his free hands through the demon’s hair. The sun filtered in from the window behind them, bathing the room in soft light.

When his thoughts got to much, Crowley finally decided to speak. “Hey, angel,” he said quietly.

“Hm?” Aziraphale hummed in response, inclined his head to show he heard, but otherwise not moving.

“Can I ask you something? It’s a bit...weird, but just bare with me, okay?”

Aziraphale hummed again, still not looking up and Crowley took in a deep breath.

“Did you ever feel drawn to me? Like,” he hesitated, a blush rising to his cheeks. “Like we were meant to meet and be together or something?” He felt silly the moment the words left his mouth. He was about to tell Aziraphale to forget it, but he seemed to have full captured the angel’s attention.

Aziraphale set aside his book and he looked down at Crowley, surprised. “Do you mean like She had intended us to be together?”

Crowley shrugged, not looking at Aziraphale. “Well, maybe, but I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

Aziraphale chuckled, though he felt the same way. “Well, we have known each other for the better part of 6000 years, dear.”

Crowley sighed, exasperated. He was already bad enough at expressing how he felt, but Aziraphale was no making it any easier. He supposed he should have expected that from him, though. “You know what I mean, angel. I don’t know if we knew each other before...before the War up there, but I just feel like I’ve always known you. When I first saw you up on that wall, I just...something in me told me I _needed_ to talk to you.”

A pink hue rose to Aziraphale’s own cheeks, his mouth opening in a silent ‘o.’ Finally, he smiled tenderly at the demon in his lap. “Yes, I suppose I’ve always felt that way, too,” he said softly. “I thought it was only me, though.”

Crowley glanced up at him before smiling back (though his smiles usually looked more like smirks). He turned and leaned upwards towards Aziraphale’s face and in turn, Aziraphale leaned down. Their lips met in a chaste kiss no longer than a few seconds. The pair pulled away before Crowley pulled himself up right to lean on the angel’s shoulder. “You’ll stay with me, right, angel? Forever?” he asked. It was a rare moment for him to be so vulnerable.

Aziraphale chuckled once more and brought a hand back up to resume stroking Crowley’s hair. “Of course, my dear,” he responded. “Until the end of the universe.”

And so they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took so long and ended up WAY longer than i intended lmao. well just like the first chapter, im lazy and don't want to edit 9000+ words right now, but i will get to it eventually. also i could have tried to make this whole thing 20000 words but...thats a lot of work rip
> 
> thank you so much for reading and i hope you enjoyed it!! 
> 
> follow my tumblr for more ineffable husbands and good omens content @ajcrowlies


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